We must settle this to aim for advancement to the Nabisco Cup 3rd Round.

The 2nd Round 2nd Match of the Nabisco Cup against Kyoto Purple Sanga was held at Edogawa Stadium. In the first match away (at Nishikyogoku), Tokyo faced a tough situation, managing to score first but ending in a draw. Today, even if the score is tied after 90 minutes, this is a match where we must settle it in extra time (and penalties). Although the temperature is not very high, with ground conditions being humid at about 90 percent humidity, we aim for victory within 90 minutes and hope to advance to the 3rd Round.

Stalemate continues in front of Kyoto's coordinated movements

Kyoto set up an attacking formation close to a 4-3-3, with FW Kazu playing post-up play and right MF Matsui involved, while FW Hezis moved aggressively from the front line to midfield. However, MF Matsukawa and Noguchi sharply read the game and intercepted the ball, and once switching to defense, 10 players pulled back into their own half showing coordinated movement. Tokyo struggled to find passing options as the spaces were tightly closed. At the 10th minute of the first half, TUTO charged down the left side with a dribble and unleashed a powerful shot, but it missed the goal. Afterwards, TUTO took a slightly withdrawn position to create space and tried to break down the defense using Amaral’s post-up play, but Tokyo’s attacks remained sporadic against Kyoto’s quick-reacting defenders. Meanwhile, Kyoto also attacked actively centered around Hezis but failed to bring the ball to a finish. Both teams failed to connect passes and continued through a period without creating chances. At the 30th minute, Kyoto targeted a long ball to Matsui, who broke through and earned a corner kick. They earned another corner at the 32nd minute but could not convert it into a goal. At the 35th minute, Tokyo’s Naito sent a pass from the left side, and Masuda skillfully turned his body to get past a defender and delivered a cross. Kobayashi, waiting there, headed the ball but could not hit the target. The first half ended 0-0.

Five minutes into the second half, we concede the opening goal due to Hejis's individual skill.

Both teams desperately wanted a goal, and the second half turned into an intense game amidst the struggle.

Right from the start, Naito boldly overlapped. He earned a corner kick through persistence, which Sakoi headed towards goal. At the 3rd minute, Kobayashi cut into the center, drawing defenders, and passed to Masuda on the right side. Masuda's cross was cut off by Kyoto's defenders, resulting in another corner kick, but neither led to a goal. When Tokyo created chances, Kyoto counterattacked as well. At the 50th minute, after picking up a loose ball in midfield, midfielder Ryo ENDO passed to Hejis on the left. Although Naito was marking tightly, Hejis fearlessly cut inside and challenged aggressively. From a dribble running parallel in front of the goal, he took a shot. The ball slipped past Naito's feet with great force; goalkeeper Doi saved it with one foot, but the momentum didn't weaken, hitting the crossbar and going in. Kyoto conceded the opening goal due to Hejis's individual skill. Immediately after, midfielder Ryo ENDO aimed directly for goal with a free kick. Goalkeeper Doi saved it, and Kyoto connected the rebound, showing multiple layers of attack in front of the goal. Tokyo endured this fierce assault, desperately wanting to score at least one goal. At the 53rd minute, Kina was brought on to replace Koike. However, Kyoto also introduced fresh strength by substituting Kazu with forward Oshima, refusing to ease up their attack.

Relentless attack after relentless attack! However, the goal is still far away...

Even so, as Kyoto gradually lost the ability to maintain a compact formation, Tokyo created opportunities. In the 58th minute, Masuda's grounded cross saw TUTO dive in, but he just missed it by a narrow margin. In the 59th minute, TUTO shot from the left side after a well-judged pass from the advancing Fujiyama. However, this also went just one ball's width to the right of the goal. In the 63rd minute, Amaral quickly seized on a defensive clearance mistake from the opponent and shot, but it went over the goal. After missing a great opportunity, it became difficult for other players to get involved in Amaral's hold-up play, leading to a tough period for the team.

In the 68th minute, Yoshihiko was brought on for Masuda. Just after that, in the 71st minute, they earned a free kick near the center of the penalty arc, but Yoshihiko's shot was blocked by the Kyoto defense wall. In the 74th minute, Kamino was brought on for Kobayashi. They switched to a three-forward formation, moving Hakuai back to the final line, with Naito and Fujiyama in midfield. Sandro also showed attacking intent and launched a fierce assault, but they just couldn't score a goal.

On the contrary, there were moments when Kyoto threatened with counterattacks whenever they had the chance. In stoppage time, TUTO, Amaral, Kamino, and once again TUTO passed to Naito on the right side. This was the last chance, and we prayed for Naito's right foot as he was free, but it went wide to the left of the goal, and time was up. It became a heavy defeat with a single goal weighing down.

Slight Difference

Kyoto capitalized on their one chance, while Tokyo revealed their lack of decisiveness. It was truly a narrow margin. Including the miscommunication and careless mistakes leading to a pass error with less than five minutes remaining, it could be said that it was a self-destructive match. However, against an opponent like Kyoto on this day, who defended solidly and maintained their focus, it is also true that we saw solutions that were not visible in the first stage, such as Kamino's post, Masuda's midfield hold-up play, and Kina's willingness to push forward. Although we couldn't create a whirlwind in the Nabisco Cup, we want to quickly shift our mindset towards the league, where we are currently on a three-game winning streak, and extend our winning record.